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[0225] Sorry to interrupt, but..

🎲 Excuse me for a second..
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • A standard polite phrase used to preface an interruption.
  • It acknowledges that you are breaking into someone else's conversation, task, or concentration, and signals that you have a reason for doing so.

Origin

  • A basic construction following standard English politeness conventions.
  • Sorry expresses polite regret for the imposition.
  • to interrupt explicitly states the potentially impolite action being taken.
  • but... signals that despite the interruption, the speaker has something necessary or important to say or ask.
  • Part of the essential toolkit for navigating social interactions politely.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Excuse me for interrupting, but... (Slightly more formal)
  • Pardon the interruption, but... / Pardon me for interrupting, but... (Slightly more formal)
  • May I interrupt for a moment? / Could I interrupt for a second? (Asking permission first)
  • If I could just jump in for a second... (Slightly more assertive, common in meetings)
  • Excuse me, but... (Shorter, slightly less polite depending on tone)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal (Can sound abrupt or rude if tone isn't right):

  • Hang on a sec... / Hold on a sec...
  • Quick question... (Often used without 'sorry', implies brevity)
  • Just jumping in here...
  • Yo, real quick... (Very informal)

Vulgar/Emphatic (Used to forcefully interrupt, inherently rude, not polite alternatives):

  • Not applicable for politeness. Forceful interruption often involves just starting to speak louder, using aggressive body language, or saying something like Hold up! or Wait a minute! forcefully.

Milder/Standard/Formal:

  • Excuse me / Pardon me (Often sufficient for brief interruptions)
  • May I have a word when you're free? (Avoids immediate interruption)
  • If I might interject for a moment... (Formal meeting context)
  • Forgive the intrusion, but... (More formal)

Situational Appropriateness

  • Ranges from informal to formal.
  • Considered essential for polite interruption in almost any context (casual conversations, meetings, approaching someone who looks busy, asking strangers for directions).
  • Omitting a politeness marker like this when interrupting can easily make the speaker seem rude, abrupt, or demanding.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Generally very clear and well understood as a polite formula.
  • The key is genuine politeness. Using the phrase but then interrupting frequently, for trivial reasons, or with a demanding tone will still be perceived as rude. The sorry needs to seem sincere.

Examples

  • Sorry to interrupt, but could I ask you a quick question about the report?
  • Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but you have an urgent phone call.
  • Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but do you know what time the train leaves?

Dialogue

Context

(Two colleagues, Deepa and Ben, are discussing a project)

Another colleague, Chloe: (Approaching hesitantly) Sorry to interrupt, guys, but Ben, your 2 o'clock client just arrived a bit early.

Ben: Oh, okay! Thanks for letting me know, Chloe. Deepa, can we pick this up later this afternoon?

Deepa: Sure thing.

Chloe: No problem!

Social Media Examples

  • (Less common in asynchronous text like posts, more relevant to real-time interactions like calls, video chats, or live streams)
  • Live Stream Chat Comment: Sorry to interrupt the game, but HUGE congrats on hitting 10k viewers! 🎉
  • Zoom Meeting Chat: Sorry to interrupt, but @[Name], could you please re-share the link to the document?
  • Voice Call: Hey, sorry to interrupt if you're busy, but did you get my email?

Response Patterns

  • The person or people being interrupted usually pause their activity or conversation and acknowledge the interrupter.
  • Yes? / What is it? (Neutral)
  • Go ahead. / Sure, what's up? (Permissive)
  • No problem, what do you need? (Reassuring)
  • Occasionally, if clearly busy: Can it wait a moment? / Just a second.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

  • Immediately after saying the phrase, the speaker states their reason for interrupting (...could you sign this form?, ...the fire alarm is going off., ...where is the restroom?).
  • The interrupted person then responds to the request or information provided.

Conversation Starter

  • Yes, in the specific sense that it *initiates* an interaction with someone who is already engaged in something else. It's a tool for entering an ongoing situation, not for starting a conversation from scratch with someone idle.

Intonation

  • Typically said in a polite, slightly softer, and sometimes hesitant tone.
  • Stress often falls lightly on Sor-ry and more strongly on the key word following but (the reason for interrupting). SOR-ry to inter-RUPT, but... [REASON].
  • A slight rising intonation on interrupt can signal deference and politeness.

Generation Differences

  • Used by all generations as a fundamental part of polite social interaction in English.

Regional Variations

  • Standard and common across all English-speaking regions.
  • Variants like Pardon me (North America) or just Sorry followed by the request (common in UK) might serve a similar function.
Come clean
🎲 Excuse me for a second..